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The Sacred Flame

The Sacred Flame

Written by: Mathias Nordvig and Amina Otto
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The Sacred Flame Podcast is about the pre-Christian traditions of Northern Europe hosted by Mathias Nordvig and Amina Otto. It's available on Buzzsprout and most podcasting platforms. The Sacred Flame Podcast comes out twice a month with information and perspectives on Northern European traditions, mythology, history, and philosophy.


Mathias Nordvig has a PhD in Old Norse mythology and teaches Scandinavian studies at the University of Colorado-Boulder.


Amina Otto has an MA in Old Norse and Gaelic studies and is doing a PhD in Norse-Gaelic Viking culture at Glasgow University.

© 2026 The Sacred Flame Philosophy Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Songleikr - Nordic folk music with Maria Franz, Ingrid Galadriel, and Kasia

    Songleikr - Nordic folk music with Maria Franz, Ingrid Galadriel, and Kasia
    Feb 17 2026

    Did you know that Heilung's Maria Franz has been deeply involved with the coolest Nordic folk music project for over 20 years? Together with her co-singers, Ingrid Galadriel and Kasia, Maria joined Amina and Mathias for a fun conversation about how to make Nordic folk music, singing in obscure Norwegian dialects, creating songs about widows wearing chastity belts, and awakening the trolls in northern Norway.
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    58 mins
  • Tattooing in Ancient Northern Europe with Sean Parry from Sacred Knot Tattoo

    Tattooing in Ancient Northern Europe with Sean Parry from Sacred Knot Tattoo
    Jan 23 2026

    Amina and Mathias join Sean Parry from Sacred Knot Tattoo in a fascinating conversation about tattooing in ancient northern Europe. Sean is a Welsh tattoo artist and a veritable well-spring of knowledge about history and culture in the British Isles and Ireland. Our host and guest have fruitful conversations about the possibility that Vikings may have tattooed, and what might have happened with art in ancient Britain. They also bat around a couple of tattoo ideas...
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    1 hr and 24 mins
  • Elves, Fairies, Hidden Folk, and Dwarfs - All the little people in the North

    Elves, Fairies, Hidden Folk, and Dwarfs - All the little people in the North
    Jan 16 2026

    Amina and Mathias sit down and talk about elves, fairies, hidden folk, dwarfs, and all the different "minor" entities in Nordic and Gaelic mythology and folklore. They dig deep into folktales about elves, what the names of these categories of beings mean, and how people have related to them in pre-Christian times.
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    1 hr and 13 mins
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